This is likely very old news, but I'd like to make everyone aware that many of the high quality apps developed by KDE are available for Microsoft Windows. Much of this software can be easily installed through the Microsoft store, which may be especially helpful if you have a machine where software installation is restricted.
Majority of the software can be found under the KDE e.V. publisher in the Microsoft store. Here's some quick highlights:
| KDE Software | Description | Replaces |
|---|---|---|
| Okular | PDF, ePub viewer | Adobe Reader |
| Kate | Text editor | Notepad++, VSCode |
| Kile | LaTeX editor | Overleaf |
| Filelight | Disk usage analyzer | CCleaner |
| Kirta | Digital Painting | Clip Studio, Procreate |
These are all great alternatives to other proprietary software options. It's great software, but more importantly it's Free Software. I love Free Software, and strive to use it as much as possible. It allows me to save money, avoid vendor lock-in, protect my privacy, and maintain full control over my software.
Note: Kirta is sold for $15 USD through the Microsoft store as a fundraising strategy. You get to support Kirta's developers and convenient updates through the Microsoft store, a fair trade in my opinion. Kirta can of course be freely downloaded from their website.
About KDE
If you aren't a Linux user then you're likely not aware of KDE. Originally the K Desktop Environment, KDE is a free & open source software community that's been building a high quality desktop software for 30+ years. Their flagship project is the Plasma desktop, which is easily the most feature rich desktop system available for GNU/Linux. KDE Plasma is my desktop of choice for a desktop computer1.
KDE follows a more traditional desktop metaphor2, similar to Microsoft Windows, so the applications adapt well across systems. Better than some MacOS or GNOME specific software apps. So far I've found Okular works quite well on my work machine, so please try some apps out and see what works for you.
See Also
- KDE: The Documentary (2026) youtube.com
Footnotes:
KDE is great, but for laptops I prefer something as lightweight as possible. A tiling window manager like sway to make the most of a single screen and minimizes battery usage.
For an interesting read about early computer desktop metaphors see the Xerox Star Workstation.
Comments
Email comments to comment@taingram.org.